dogdoggiedog.com

 Pets with Cancer

Our Pets' Advice

Oliver's Story 

(MPNST)

Meet Us 

Recent Visitors and Spirit Dogs

Using the Lifeline

Gaelee's Story - A Kerry Blue Terrier Triumphs 

Every Day is A Good Day (Lymphoma Treatment Guide)

 Advice to Owners

Pets with Cancer

·Oliver's StoryOliver's rare cancer, Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor (MPNST), sent his owner Shelley searching for information about treatment options appropriate for her dog.  While specific to MPNST, Shelley's discussion of her consultations with several specialists and decision-making process highlight the need for thorough information gathering when dealing with any cancer, and making decisions for your dog or cat.  

 ·Gaelee's StoryGaelee, a Kerry Blue Terrier, was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2007.  With chemotherapy, accompanied by acupuncture and other homeopathic treatments, Gaelee survived in remission two years, until July 2009.   Her owner Laurie's story and email reports to dogdoggiedog.com chronicle the ups-and-downs of treatment and the joys of extended life for a beloved dog.

·Salty's StorySalty, an agility dog, was diagnosed with a soft tissue sarcoma, in 2009.  Lonna chose radiation, based on the high likelihood (84%) the cancer would not return within 5 years, accompanied by specific diet and supplements.  In  Salty's Badge of Courage, Lonna discusses her evaluation of treatment options, what the radiation process was like, and how Salty was able to continue his agility activities during the course of treatment.       

· Every Day is A Good Day (Berry The Dog’s Guide to Living with Lymphoma).  Every Day is an owner’s guide to the chemotherapy treatment process, with links to dozens of sites related to canine lymphoma.

Each of our pets received a cancer diagnosis, followed by treatment.  Initially, we all faced the same questions:  What should I do?  Will treatment hurt my pet?  Will my pet receive caring treatment at a teaching facility or will he be a research subject? What will my pet's quality of life be?  We each gathered information from written materials from VHUP and other sources, conversations with the veterinarians, internet searches, and other owners whose pets had cancer.  We hope that by sharing our experiences, Pets With Cancer Lifeline can be another such source. 

What should you do?  Only you can answer that question.  But we can tell you that most of our pets have done well in treatment, with good to excellent quality of life and generally minimal side effects.  

Collectively, our pets had hundreds of months of treatment so we learned a lot about how pets with cancer lead their everyday lives.   We've seen the initial stages of treatment, remission, recurrence, and loss of our pets -- to cancer and to other, unrelated causes.  We support you in your journey.

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